Teabags and Climate Change Reading Answers

Mar 19, 2025

Teabags and Climate Change Reading Answers is a generic topic for IELTS Reading Answers. Teabags and Climate Change Reading Answers consist of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the first set of questions (Questions No 14-19), read the passage carefully and choose the appropriate letter that satisfies the given statement. Finally, on the remaining questions (Questions No. 20-26), answer all the given statements in either TRUE, FALSE, or NOT GIVEN options.

The IELTS Reading Section is a significant part of the IELTS Exam, assessing the candidate's ability to understand and analyze different texts. These IELTS Reading Practice questions enhance your reading ability to identify key trends, detect specific details from the passage, and draw accurate conclusions. Regular practice helps you familiarize yourself with the test format, boosts your confidence, and ensures thorough preparation for the actual exam, enabling you to perform effectively and achieve higher band scores.

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Section 1 Teabags and Climate Change Reading Answers

How teabags became a secret weapon in the fight against climate change.

A. Teabags, which seem to be humble, but turn out to provide an ingenious window onto a largely hidden world: soil. When soil litter — dead leaves, twigs, and other organic material decomposes, it emits carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. Being able to measure the rate at which this happens is important, and nowhere more so than in the Arctic, where the tundra holds vast quantities of carbon and is emitting it into the air at an accelerating rate as the land heats up. Sizing up this problem should allow us to better predict the ramifications of a warmer world, and chart a course to avert disastrous climate change.

B. It started in 2010 when Joost Keuskamp and Judith Sarneel at Utrecht University in the Netherlands had a eureka moment. Both study soil decomposition and their research entails sewing or gluing together the seams of hundreds of tiny bags, filling them with dead plant material, then burying them in the ground. The ecologists later dig up the bags and reweigh them to track the progress of decay. During a well-earned tea break, the pair were bemoaning the tedium of this time-consuming job. If only there were some way to avoid it, they mused, while staring into the depths of their teacups. Teabags! It was a genius idea. Not only would using them bypass all the sewing and gluing, but if ecologists everywhere buried the same type of teabag instead of homemade litter bags, it would also give them a standard piece of kit with which to do their studies.

C. Soil decomposition occurs when microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria, digest dead plant material, transforming it into nutrients and releasing carbon dioxide. The rate of decay depends on environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, soil acidity, and nutrient content, together with the chemical properties of the litter and the types of microorganisms present. It is a two-stage process. Typically, decay is fast at first, as microbes consume all the easily degraded organic material. In the next phase, the decomposition rate is slower because the material left behind is more resistant.

D. After much trial and error, Sarneel, now at Umeå University in Sweden, and Keuskamp realized that, by burying two different types of tea for two or three months, they could capture data on both phases at the same time. Woody rooibos tea, also known as redbush, is slow to decompose, so the amount of weight lost gives a measure of the initial decay rate. Meanwhile, rapidly decomposing green tea quickly reaches the slower phase of decay, so can be used to measure its rate. The Tea Bag Index — a standardized system of classification was born. Since Sarneel and Keuskamp published their method in 2013, teabag ecology has taken off. Last year, the first global comparative study of soil litter decomposition was published by the TeaTime4Science website, a collaboration of researchers from more than 190 institutions over the world

E. They looked at early-stage decay rates of the two types of teabags in the soil at 336 sites within nine different biomes, including boreal forests, equatorial regions, and the Mediterranean and Arctic tundra. They found that rooibos tea always decayed much slower than green tea, reassuring them that the Tea Bag Index works in vastly different geographical areas and biomes. As expected, the decay of both tea types was faster in warmer, more humid environments. However, for tea, at least, moisture levels have more impact on decomposition rates than temperature.

F. Being able to make such global comparisons is a huge leap forward for soil scientists. However, the group acknowledged that data from the Arctic was sparse. That matters because tundra contains huge amounts of carbon, almost twice as much as the atmosphere in the form of dead vegetation.

G. Historically, low temperatures in the Arctic have kept the decomposition rates in tundra soil low, locking up this carbon. With global warming, that is no longer the case. However, we don't know how fast carbon dioxide is being released from the tundra into the atmosphere or what impact this will have. That is what Myers-Smith and her team are trying to find out. They are particularly keen to examine the unusual changes that are occurring in places like Herschel Island, where rising temperatures are leading to increased plant growth. “One of the big questions is, what happens to that biomass once it gets deposited into the soil,” says Myers-Smith. Might it rapidly decompose, creating a feedback loop that makes things worse?

H. To tackle this question, Thomas heads up the Tundra Tea Bag Experiment, an international collaboration involving some 50 researchers. It has buried teabags at over 350 sites worldwide and aims to find out how decomposition rates across the tundra differ with changes in soil and air temperature and moisture. The analysis is ongoing, but early hints are concerning. In the Arctic, soils are often below 0 °C but warm up through the summer. As temperature and moisture increase, decomposition speeds up. The researchers had predicted in line with assumptions used by many climate models that after an initial spurt, rates of decay would begin to level off. That isn't happening.

I. “We're seeing a linear relationship across the whole tundra,” says Myers-Smith. “Some of the highest rates of decomposition occurred at sites that were the warmest and the wettest.” She hopes that the findings, which will be published soon, will be used to update climate models and improve our ability to predict the effects of climate change at high latitudes.

Section 2 Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has seven sections A-I. Which section contains the following information? Write the correct letter A-I.

14. a detailed description of a natural process

Answer: Paragraph C

Supporting statement: “.......Soil decomposition occurs when microorganisms, including fungi and bacteria, digest dead plant material, transforming it into nutrients and releasing carbon dioxide. The rate of decay depends on environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, soil acidity, and nutrient content, together with the chemical properties of the litter and the types of microorganisms present........”

Keywords: Soil, Decomposition, Microorganisms, Bacteria

Keyword Location: para C, Lines 1-5

Explanation: Paragraph C provides a detailed description of the natural process of soil decomposition. It describes how microorganisms break down dead plant material, turning it into nutrients while releasing carbon dioxide, and outlines a two-step decomposition process influenced by environmental factors.

15. a mystery regarding the possible scenario of a strange phenomenon

Answer: Paragraph G

Supporting statement: “........One of the big questions is, what happens to that biomass once it gets deposited into the soil,” says Myers-Smith. Might it rapidly decompose, creating a feedback loop that makes things worse?.......”

Keywords: Questions, Biomass, Soil, Loop

Keyword Location: para 7, Lines 7-10

Explanation: Paragraph G discusses the uncertainty surrounding the fate of increased plant biomass in the Arctic due to increasing temperatures. Scientists question whether it will decompose faster, creating a feedback loop that will make climate change worse. This presents a mystery regarding the possible outcomes of this event.

16. a reference to an unexpected discovery

Answer: Paragraph B

Supporting statement: “........During a well-earned tea break, the pair were bemoaning the tedium of this time-consuming job. If only there were some way to avoid it, they mused, while staring into the depths of their teacups. Teabags! It was a genius idea........”

Keywords: Tea, Pair, Tedium, Job

Keyword Location: para 2, Lines 6-8

Explanation: Paragraph B tells how Keskamp and Sarneel unexpectedly realized that teabags could replace their tedious homemade garbage bags, making soil decomposition studies more efficient.

17. the name of a particular research which was conducted on a global scale

Answer: Paragraph D

Supporting statement: “........Since Sarneel and Keuskamp published their method in 2013, teabag ecology has taken off. Last year, the first global comparative study of soil litter decomposition was published by the TeaTime4Science website, a collaboration of researchers from more than 190 institutions over the world........”

Keywords: Sarneel, Keuskamp, Ecology, global

Keyword Location: para 4, Lines 8-11

Explanation: Paragraph D introduces the Tea Bag Index, a standardized system for measuring decomposition. It also mentions TeaTime4Science, a global research initiative involving more than 190 institutions around the world studying soil litter decomposition.

18. evidence for the practicality of a standardized system in various regions

Answer: Paragraph E

Supporting statement: “........They found that rooibos tea always decayed much slower than green tea, reassuring them that the Tea Bag Index works in vastly different geographical areas and biomes........”

Keywords: Rooibos, Decayed, Green Tea

Keyword Location: para 5, Lines 3-5

Explanation: Paragraph E discusses the results of a global study that tested the Tea Bag Index at 336 sites in different biomes, confirming its reliability in different geographic regions.

19. the publication of a research method that helps an area of research flourish

Answer: Paragraph D

Keywords: Published, Method, Teabag, Study

Keyword Location: para 4, Lines 8-11

Explanation: Paragraph D discusses how Sarneel and Keskamp published their methodology in 2013, which led to the widespread adoption of the Tea Bag Index, an important development in teabag ecology.

Questions 20-26

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 20-26 on your answer sheet, write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

20. The rate at which the Arctic tundra is emitting carbon has been stabilizing over the past few years.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “........Being able to measure the rate at which this happens is important, and nowhere more so than in the Arctic, where the tundra holds vast quantities of carbon and is emitting it into the air at an accelerating rate as the land heats up.........”

Keywords: Measure, Important, Arctic, Tundra

Keyword Location: para 1, Lines 4-7

Explanation: The rate of carbon emissions from the Arctic tundra is accelerating, not plateauing, as the land warms.

21. Joost Keuskamp and Judith Sarneel discovered the potential scientific use of teabags when they were analyzing the results of their experiment.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “........If only there were some way to avoid it, they mused, while staring into the depths of their teacups. Teabags! It was a genius idea..........”

Keywords: Mused, Depths, Teacups, Teabags

Keyword Location: para 2, Lines 7-8

Explanation: Keuskamp and Sarneel discovered the potential of teabags during a tea break, not while analyzing experiment results. The idea came to them as they were discussing the tedious task of creating litter bags.

22. The rate of decay is affected by various environmental factors

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.........The rate of decay depends on environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, soil acidity, and nutrient content, together with the chemical properties of the litter and the types of microorganisms present.........”

Keywords: Decay, Environmental, Humidity, Temperature

Keyword Location: para 3, Lines 3-5

Explanation: The rate of decay is influenced by various environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature, soil acidity, and nutrient content as well as the type of microorganisms and chemical properties of the litter.

23. The soil's decomposition process is divided into 2 stages with different rates.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.........It is a two-stage process. Typically, decay is fast at first, as microbes consume all the easily degraded organic material. In the next phase, the decomposition rate is slower because the material left behind is more resistant. .........”

Keywords: Process, Fast, Microbes, Organic

Keyword Location: para 3, Lines 5-8

Explanation: The decomposition process occurs in two stages, with the initial stage being faster as microorganisms consume the easily degradable material, followed by a slower one with more resistant material.

24. Researchers at Umeå University found evidence for the cost-effectiveness of burying two different types of tea.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: This passage does not mention anything about researchers at Umeå University finding evidence of the cost-effectiveness of burying two different types of tea. It focuses on his experimental approach to decomposition rates.

25. Among all types, green tea has the fastest decay rate.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “..........Meanwhile, rapidly decomposing green tea quickly reaches the slower phase of decay, so can be used to measure its rate.........”

Keywords: Rapidly, Quickly, Slower, Phase

Keyword Location: para 4, Lines 5-7

Explanation: Green tea has the fastest decay rate compared to other types of tea, as it reaches lower stages of decay sooner.

26. The effect of temperature on tea decomposition rate is similar to the moisture.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “..........However, for tea, at least, moisture levels have more impact on decomposition rates than temperature..........”

Keywords: Tea, Moisture, Levels, Decomposition

Keyword Location: para 5, Lines 7-8

Explanation: Temperature does not have the same effect on decomposition rate as moisture. Humidity levels have a greater impact than temperature.

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